Posted on the MI forum, with leaders {long term} like this... It was a response to a letter about constitutionally guaranteed rights

Quote:

Thank you for contacting me about gun safety issues. I appreciate you sharing your views with me.

I support sensible gun safety laws and strict enforcement of those laws to help stem the tide of crimes committed with firearms. I believe Congress can and should pursue legislative solutions to prevent gun violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens.

I was an original cosponsor of the Brady Law (P.L.103-159), which requires prospective handgun purchasers to undergo criminal background checks before purchasing firearms from a licensed dealer. From 1994 until the end of 2008, these background checks prevented more than 1.6 million firearm purchases by potentially dangerous individuals. Additionally, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control statistics, since the Brady Law went into effect, the number of gun deaths in the United States dropped 22 percent, from 39,595 in 1993 to 30,769 in 2007. The number of gun homicides dropped by more than 29 percent from 17,024 in 1993 to 12,129 in 2007.

While the Brady Law has been successful at reducing gun violence, I believe more has to be done. Accordingly, I am a cosponsor of the Gun Show Background Check Act (S.35), which would extend the protections of the Brady Law to purchases made at gun shows, thereby closing the loophole that currently permits gun sales without criminal background checks. In 2008, 9.9 million background checks were conducted for firearm purchases, 147,000 of which were rejected. The majority of these denials were the consequence of a prior conviction or indictment. However, when an individual purchases a handgun from a private citizen, who is not a licensed gun dealer, there are no requirements to ensure that the purchaser is not in a prohibited category. Private party transactions, like those that can occur at gun shows, account for approximately 40 percent of all gun sales.

I also support reinstating a federal ban on assault weapons. The first federal assault weapons ban was enacted in 1994 and prohibited the sale of 19 of the highest powered and most lethal firearms produced. Additionally, it prohibited the sale of semiautomatic weapons that incorporated a detachable magazine and two or more specific military features. These features included folding telescoping stocks, threaded muzzles or flash suppressors, protruding pistol grips, bayonet mounts, barrel shrouds, or grenade launchers. I voted to establish the assault weapons ban, and ten years later, in 2004, I joined a bipartisan majority of the Senate in voting to extend the ban for another 10 years. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming support of the law enforcement community, the ongoing threat of terrorism, and bipartisan support in the Senate, this measure ultimately was not enacted. As a result, our nation’s neighborhoods are in greater danger and police officers across the country are being forced to counter previously banned military-style assault weapons.

To help mitigate the negative impact of the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, I cosponsored a bill that would ban large capacity ammunition magazines, items that previously were prohibited under the ban. The Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act (S.32) would ban the possession, import or sale of ammunition magazines that have a capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The bill would make an exception for the possession of such a magazine that was lawfully possessed on or before the date of enactment, while still banning its sale. High capacity magazines, some which can hold 30 or 50 rounds of ammunition, greatly increase the lethality of firearms and have been used by assailants in numerous mass shootings, including Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood and most recently, the Tucson shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others. These military-style, high capacity magazines have a tragic history of increasing the severity of gun-related violence and have no place on our streets.

In addition, I am a cosponsor of a bill that seeks to reduce gun violence by keeping firearms out of the hands of terrorists and criminals. The Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act (S.34) would authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm when a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check reveals that the prospective purchaser is a known or suspected terrorist and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the purchaser may use the firearm in connection with terrorism. Although hard to believe, nothing in current law prohibits firearm transfers to individuals on terrorist watch lists unless they fall into another disqualifying category. In other words, being on a terrorist watch list does not automatically prevent someone from purchasing a gun. This “terror gap” in federal law that prevents the federal government from stopping the sale of firearms or explosives to a known or suspected terrorist must be eliminated.

Despite progress over the years in reducing gun related violence, much remains to be done. I support common-sense gun safety legislation that protects against violence while safeguarding the second amendment rights of American citizens. I will continue to work to close the gun show loophole and to enact a federal ban on assault weapons. Additionally, I will continue to support the various federal agencies responsible for the prevention and prosecution of gun related crime. Thank you again for contacting me.